Profile: Women with Soul

BY SCOTT “SCOOTER” ANDERSON

The festival not only has a new venue but a new title sponsor in Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning. “We have done over 20 years of community service things with them,” Tammy Wright said. “When they said they were going to sponsor, that was major.” The inaugural festival was at the State Fairgrounds last year. Before that, it was just a dream for Tammy and her twin sister, Cammy Wright, of Shreveport, the founders and chairpersons of the festival. “May 13, 2019, God gave a vision,” Tammy said. “We walk by faith. So, we started thinking about soul food. We weren’t just thinking about Shreveport, though. That’s why we call it a Louisiana festival. And we had so many people who wanted to be a part.” One of those people was Chris Giordano, president and general manager of State Fair of Louisiana. He opened the fairgrounds to the inaugural festival. “We couldn’t have done it without Chris Giordano supporting us,” Tammy said. “He’s an awesome individual.” Cammy said part of the vision for the festival was to shine a positive light on their hometown. “Shreveport is growing,” she said. “We wanted to do something on a wide scale to bring a lot of people to Shreveport. You hear the negative, but we have a lot of greatness going on. Maybe some of that greatness will bring people in to see that we have more to offer here.” They chose to build their event around soul food because, in their minds, it’s something anyone can relate to. “Soul is really what’s inside of you,” Cammy said. “What you have grown up with from childhood. You travel other places or experience different dishes, but soul is what you feel is good. It depends on your taste. It’s what inside of a person. It’s not a cultural thing.” The sisters come from a large family that enjoyed sitting down to meals together on the weekends. Tammy said their aunt cooked for Tina Turner. Of the two, Cammy developed a love for cooking. “I tried to push her, saying, ‘You need to get a food truck,’” Tammy said. “She wouldn’t do it. But she’ll cook for the masses.” For Cammy, it’s more than just delicious food. “I love to see a spread,” she said. “When we were growing up, we would go to Morrison’s buffet. We would always have a variety of food. I said when I get older, I want to do something like that.” The Wright sisters said the inaugural event was relatively smooth. “It was nice we finished it from beginning to end with no problems,” Cammy said. “We had a couple of glitches, but we sat down and talked about those. It was a blessing to get that accomplished.” Tammy said they learned a lot from that first event, and those lessons are paying off. “There are so many festivals in Louisiana,” Tammy said. “Over 400 and growing. So, to be a new festival, we have to bring an array of activities to lure every liking, from flavors, textures — a little bit of everything. That’s what we’re doing, and it’s blowing up.” This year, chefs will complete in a live competition at the festival. Cammy said the competitors will have to rely on their creativity as much as their culinary skills. “They don’t know what they are cooking,” she said. “They will find out when they are there. They know they will have a protein and a dessert to make their meal. They will only know what they have to work with when they see their groceries.” The festival also will include cooking demonstrations, live music, and children’s activities, including a cupcake decorating contest and a Southern Maid doughnut eating competition. Celebrity chefs scheduled to appear include Chris Scott of New York City, Queen Nola from New Orleans, and Chef Maurice from the Bahamas. Local chefs participating include Roosevelt Williams, Besheka McCoy-Harris, and Chef MeMe. “We kind of got some of the chefs who hadn’t been out there,” Tammy said. “We picked them to blossom.” The Louisiana Soul Food Fall Festival is for both adults and children, and a VIP experience is available that includes souvenirs and signature food and drinks from participating chefs.